- Some Airbnb executives decided not to welcome guests during Donald Trump’s inauguration weekend.
- They were concerned about security or supporting a political agenda. Others, however, had no problems with the reception.
- Demand for short-term rentals in the DC area in 2025 is on par with Trump’s inauguration in 2017, AirDNA said.
Washington DC Airbnb host Stacy Kane blocked out her calendar for President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Kane and two friends contacted community members and city councilors asking other hosts to join, saying in an email that it will show Trump supporters entering the DMV that we don’t welcome hate, misogyny or intentions to take control of DC. ” according to the Washington Post.
A handful of other hosts have taken their short-term rentals off the market. An Airbnb owner — who lives on the same property as the apartment she rents out about three miles from the Capitol — told Business Insider she was concerned for her safety given the language and actions of Trump supporters on Jan. 6. .
Other people who have said they run Airbnbs have posted on Facebook and Reddit host forums that they have not only kept their homes open to bookings, but added prices to their rates.
“I’m paying $1200 a night with a four night minimum,” one Redditor posted in November.
It appears that conflicting opinions on how to handle inauguration weekend have had little effect. According to Bram Gallagher, director of economics and forecasting at AirDNA, demand from guests looking to stay in short-term rentals in the D.C. area this year is similar to Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.
“In the DC metro area, the number of available listings has remained stable and search trends and average nightly rates are typical of periods of increased demand,” an Airbnb spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson also said the company “connects guests and hosts of all political persuasions” and “is committed to ensuring that this is their experience on the platform. Our policies and Terms of Service make this clear, and if we learn of cases when these are violated, we take measures”.
Are you an Airbnb host in Washington DC, renting out – or not – your home this weekend? Email Hana Alberts at halberts@businessinsider.com to share your thoughts on an upcoming story.
DC’s rule that Airbnb hosts rent out their primary residence made one feel at risk
The Airbnb host concerned about her safety, who asked to remain anonymous because of the same concerns, said D.C.’s rule that short-term rentals for stays under 30 days must also be the owner’s primary residence makes her feel more vulnerable.
“If something happens, these people can target me forever,” she told Business Insider. “It opens you up to a lot more than it’s worth in a few nights of rental income. I just couldn’t see myself putting myself out there for that.”
Because of the law, many Washington DC hosts live in the homes they rent out and have strong ties to their neighborhoods.
“From my perspective, it’s not about the money,” she added. “I like to hang out. I like to meet people and help people enjoy my city, but I can’t be somewhere where people use hate speech and target people and are violent. These are not the kind of people that I want to wait, and I’d just rather be safe than take that risk.”
Inauguration weekend bookings are close to 2017 numbers
Every four years on January 20, people from all over the country regularly travel to Washington and brave bad weather to watch the president take the oath of office outside the Capitol. Trump announced Friday that his 2025 inauguration would be held inside the Capitol Rotunda because of expected freezing temperatures.
Gallagher, of AirDNA, showed how demand for short-term rentals in 2025 is at the same level as in 2017.
AirDNA data shows that the peak day for short-term rental demand for the 2017 inauguration — measured by the total number of nights booked — was 6,796 as of January 13, 2017. As of the same date in 2025, the total number of nights reserved was 8100.
Gallagher noted that AirDNA didn’t start tracking Vrbo data until later in 2017; 2025 figures reflect Airbnbs and Vrbos booked.
In the Capitol Hill neighborhood, where the Capitol is located, demand was 1,191 nights booked in 2017 and 1,189 in 2025 — about the same.
“I was surprised by how close these demand numbers are – it was quite a big event in 2017,” said Gallagher.
So far, the data also suggests that large price increases have not occurred. The highest average daily rate in 2017 during the inauguration was about $363 per night. In 2025, it is about $304.
“I think people just became very, very aware of the costs in 2023, and that’s still going on,” Gallagher said. “We saw prices decline throughout 2023 on average nationwide. It could be kind of a hangover from that.”
He added that some hosts care more about getting bookings than securing the most profitable rate.
“It could also be that short-term rental operators prefer to overfill rather than have the highest possible price,” he said. “I can imagine if you’re a management company or if you’re a small manager, you go to your landlord and say, ‘Well, I have this DC apartment on Capitol Hill, but we couldn’t rent it out. at the inauguration, they’re going to be pretty crazy.”
